§ MR. SWIFT MACNEILL (Donegal S.)I beg to ask the Secretary of State 159 for foreign Affairs whether he has received an outline of the views and wishes of the Egyptian nation as regards changes in the administration of Egypt which have already been sanctioned by the general assembly at its recent meeting, forwarded to him as Member of the House of Commons by W. A. Hafiz-Amoud, the proposals for the establishment of the constitution being based on the schemes put forward by Lord Dufferin in 1883; whether he is aware that the programme of the Egyptian national party embraces free and compulsory education in kuttobs and primary schools, Arabic being the medium of instruction in all schools, the conferring of legislative powers on the general assembly and legislative council in matters relating purely to Egyptian affairs, the gradual substitution of Egyptian for European officials, and the transference of the criminal jurisdiction of the Consular Courts to Mixed Courts with subsidiary grants; and whether, having regard to the fact that these proposals are authoritatively declared to constitute the minimum of the reforms necessary for Egyptian needs and aspirations, the Government will take any and, if so, what steps in the immediate future towards their concession.
§ MR. RUNCIMANMy right hon. friend has received a communication of the nature described by the hon. Member. But he has nothing to add to the statement of policy which he made in the debate on the Foreign Office Vote.